Chapter 77 How to Solve the Food and Grass Problem for War Horses "Captain, what do you want from us?" After hearing Goudan say that Qin Yangming was looking for them, Zhangye and Sun Zhigang, who were counting the supplies of the Vanguard Camp, went straight to the camp headquarters. When Qin Yangming saw the two people coming, he first poured water for them and then asked them to sit down. "Well, I asked you to come here because I want to ask you what you think about something." "Sun Desheng knows there is a horse farm nearby and says there may be thousands of horses in the farm. If the information is correct, I plan to bring all the horses back." "Captain, we vanguards cannot afford to feed thousands of horses." As soon as Qin Yangming finished speaking, Sun Zhigang knew what Qin Yangming wanted to ask and answered directly. "So I want to ask you if there is any way to keep these horses." Zhang Ye, who was standing by, thought for a moment and said, "Captain, if there are 3,000 horses in the stable, we can probably keep at most 1,000."

"The brigade headquarters is right next to us. The movement of thousands of horses will definitely not be hidden from the brigade commander's eyes. Our vanguard battalion or our independent regiment will definitely not be able to eat all of these thousands of horses." Qin Yangming listened to Zhangye's analysis and nodded, indicating that he had thought of this. Thousands of horses, if all of them were war horses, could form a cavalry brigade. It is impossible for him, the battalion commander of a vanguard battalion, to lead a cavalry brigade. "So we only need to feed about 300 war horses, plus 600 to 700 nags." "If we want to raise so many horses, we need at least a county, and it has to be a big county, not a small one." As he spoke, Zhangye had already spread out the map. Qin Yangming looked at the division of forces on the map, thought for a moment and said, "If we need a county town, we have two options. One is to take Qinghe County directly. There is a grassland not far away, and it is easy to get fodder." “Also, if we take Qinghe, then the Pianguan base can be connected to Qinghe to form a large base. We can advance north to Shuihe, and then advance in two directions to capture the Inner Mongolia area south of the Yellow River. Then the Yellow River can become a new barrier for the border area." "Or we can go east and take Kexian and Zhaixian. Our Debao base, Pianguan base, Xinxian, Zhaixian and Kexian formed a large base. Moreover, if we capture these two county towns, we can also seize Chiyang Town and approach Xianchi County." "If we want to attack these two counties, we can also work together with the New 1st Regiment." "Captain, what you said makes sense, but will our higher-ups agree to such a big move? Besides, we are just resting in northwest Shanxi, and we will return to eastern Shanxi later." Listening to the plan Qin Yangming mentioned, Zhangye felt a little worried. If you are in Linyuan County, the highest-ranking person there is the brigade commander, and it is easy to talk to him. But it is different now. Northwest Shanxi can be said to be the Eighth Route Army’s largest base, and it is also an important barrier to the border area. The headquarters is still here.

The rear of northwest Shanxi is the real stronghold of the Eighth Route Army. If there is a problem in northwest Shanxi, the border area will be in danger. Listening to what Zhangye said, Qin Yangming lit a cigarette and began to think. Just as Zhangye said, attacking a county town in northwest Shanxi is no small matter. As for Linyuan County, even if the county town was not taken, it would not have much impact on the Eighth Route Army. But it is different in northwest Shanxi. The counties here are garrisoned by a large number of Japanese devils and puppet troops. In addition, the terrain is complex, so it is not easy to capture a county with the independent troops. We definitely need the cooperation of friendly neighboring troops. It will be easy if we can capture the county town then. If they failed to capture the city and instead suffered heavy losses, causing problems in northwest Shanxi, Qin Yangming would be guilty of a great crime. "Battalion Commander, this matter is not something we can control. Report it to the regiment commander and then ask the brigade commander." Zhangye looked at Qin Yangming smoking and began to persuade him. The independent regiment mobilized troops to attack the county town without authorization. Before the troops arrived, the brigade commander was probably able to come and capture Li Yunlong and Qin Yangming first. Sun Zhigang, who was sitting nearby, saw that the two men's discussion had turned from war horses to the county town, and then became more and more off-topic, so he quickly interrupted them. "Wait, instructor, battalion commander, isn't our goal to feed the war horses?" "Yes, without enough land, where would we get the resources to raise war horses?" "No, Captain, we are just resting in northwest Shanxi. Even if we take a big risk and secretly capture the county town, do we still have to leave when the time comes?" "Then doesn't it mean we haven't taken the county yet? When we return to Jinzhong or Taihang, won't we have to fight for territory again?" Seeing that Qin Yangming and Zhangye were both looking at him, Sun Zhigang organized his words and continued speaking. "Battalion Commander, instructor, I'm not saying that we take over the territory and then give it to other troops. We are all members of the Eighth Route Army. No matter where the territory is, it is our Eighth Route Army's territory. I was thinking, if the higher-ups don't agree with us attacking the county town here, So why don't we wait until we return to Jinzhong or Taihang before considering attacking the county town? Besides, Jinzhong is close to Hebei, which is a grain-producing area, and it will be easier for us to obtain food and grass supplies there." "So we only need to consider the issue of raising war horses in the short term." "Since Captain Sun said that there is a horse farm there, then there must be a lot of fodder stored there. If we grab it together, it will be enough to last us for quite some time." After listening to what Sun Zhigang said, Zhangye and Qin Yangming suddenly became enlightened. "Yes, we are being too stubborn. If the higher-ups don't agree with us fighting, then we won't fight. There's no need to take such a big risk and fight secretly." "Wait a moment, you two. I'll go find the leader and discuss this with him." Li Yunlong did not leave at this time, but prepared to have dinner in the Pioneer Camp. The food in the Pioneer Battalion is the best in the entire independent regiment, especially the cooking crew of the Pioneer Battalion. I don’t know where they came from, but they are all real cooks. Li Yunlong saw Qin Yangming greeting him secretly outside the door. After taking a look at Zhao Gang beside him, Li Yunlong understood immediately. "Political Commissar, Lao Kong, you guys have some tea. I feel a little uncomfortable in my stomach, so I need to go out for a while." After saying hello, Li Yunlong got up and left the reception room.

Kong Jie, who was standing next to him, also saw Qin Yangming's actions. He rolled his eyes and left the reception room on the pretext of going to the toilet. Zhao Gang was also confused when he saw Li Yunlong and Kong Jie leaving one after another. "Monk, what did the leader and deputy leader have for lunch today? Why do both of them feel uncomfortable in their stomachs? Monk Wei glanced outside the door, thought for a moment, and then said, "Political Commissar, I see that the regiment commander and the deputy regiment commander both look fine, and they don't look like they have stomach problems." "And Captain Qin just greeted the regiment commander outside." When Zhao Gang listened to what Wei Dayong said, he immediately thought of Li Yunlong's unauthorized mobilization of troops to attack Chiyang Town. Moreover, Li Yunlong did not even ask for the opinion of the political commissar on such a big matter, and completely treated him as a decoration. Thinking of this, Zhao Gang stood up and walked out of the reception room: "Let's go over and see what tricks our leader and deputy leader are up to." "Politics". Zhao Gang walked outside Qin Yangming's battalion headquarters, and Goudan, who was on guard, wanted to shout loudly to alert Li Yunlong and others inside that the political commissar was coming. But before he could make a sound, the monk covered his mouth. "Don't make a sound. Do you hear me? I ask, and you answer." Zhao Gang nodded at Goudan, and when he saw the other party nod, he asked Wei Dayong to let him go. "Xiao Qin, can you confirm the horse farm that Sun Desheng mentioned?" In the battalion headquarters, after Qin Yangming brought Li Yunlong and Kong Jie over, he told the two of them his ideas and the results of the discussion. Qin Yangming listened to Kong Jie's question and shook his head. "It's not clear yet. I've asked Sun Desheng to make some preparations. I'll go over there tomorrow to check out the situation. I should be able to bring back some news in four days." Listening to what Qin Yangming said, Li Yunlong also began to analyze. "If the horse farm is fine and the garrison is less than a thousand men, then we can find a way to deal with it." (End of this chapter)